1. Field of the Invention
The present fuel cell systems and control methods relate generally to direct current-to-direct current (DC/DC) converters, and more particularly to using a DC/DC converter with both a fuel cell and a second energy source.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an application utilizing an energy source, such as a fuel cell, the quality of power or the regulation of the direct current (DC) bus is an issue. For example, a fuel cell is typically not able to respond immediately to peaks in demand. A further issue in such an application is that the fuel cell may be subject to power outages which are unacceptable in an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) application. There is a present need to address those issues, utilizing as many of the components of an existing power converter to implement a DC/DC converter with existing hardware and with as few alterations and additions to the existing hardware as possible.